On September 4

Celebrating his 200th birthday: a big party for Anton

(Bild: Land OÖ/kest/Adobe firefly)

The birthday party in honor of the parade composer Anton Bruckner begins on Wednesday, September 4, at midnight in the Mariendom in Linz. Franz Welser-Möst and the Cleveland Orchestra in Ansfelden are the concert highlight of the evening. 

The highlight of the KulturEXPO, the province's new format that has been paying homage to Anton Bruckner since the beginning of the year, unfolds with the 24-hour birthday party on September 4.

It has been "a success in terms of popularity and participation", says Governor Thomas Stelzer in his initial assessment. But now, next Wednesday, the 200th birthday of the great composer will be celebrated for a whole day.

Birth, awakening - and breakfast
The celebration of superlatives starts at midnight in the Mariendom in Linz with "Silent Echoes: Dachstein", which makes sounds from Notre-Dame in Paris and the Dachstein ice caves audible. Bruckner's birth will be celebrated with a musical performance in front of his birthplace in Ansfelden from 4 a.m., his "awakening" from 5 a.m. in the Old Cathedral with an improvised organ breakfast.

Anton Bruckner, born 1824 in Ansfelden, Upper Austria; † October 11, 1896

(Bild: Österreichische Nationalbibliothek)

Scavenger hunt and guided tours
The program also includes a performance by Silke Grabinger, a festive concert with the Bruckner Orchestra, the scavenger hunt "Anton and the Detectives" and guided tours. In addition to St. Florian, Windhaag, Steyr, Kronstorf, Ansfelden and Linz are also on the program.

Free live broadcast in the Donaupark
The mega-event also brings the province and city of Linz closer together: Franz Welser-Möst will conduct Bruckner's "Fourth" at 7 pm, and the Cleveland Orchestra concert in Ansfelden will be broadcast live in the Donaupark in front of the Brucknerhaus. "A wonderful opportunity to pay tribute to Linz's cultural heritage and the importance of music in our lives," emphasizes Deputy Mayor Karin Hörzing.

Incidentally, the opening day of the Ars Electronica media festival also falls on September 4. The big birthday party will therefore culminate in an extraordinary concert in St. Mary's Cathedral: Quantum Revolution as a musical spectacle in the here and now.